Baucus now says he supports Sotomayor

WASHINGTON, July 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., a day after he said he was undecided on Sonia Sotomayor's nomination, called her qualified for the Supreme Court on Friday.

Baucus released a statement saying he would vote to confirm Sotomayor as a justice, The Hill reported. Baucus, who has an A rating from the National Rifle Association, became the seventh senator and third Democrat to announce plans to vote for her.

On Thursday, Baucus told The Hill he had not been paying attention to the Sotomayor nomination because he was focused on healthcare.

"I have no idea," he said. "I haven't paid any attention and I haven't announced. … I've been so busy with healthcare. It's under consideration. I'll certainly know when I vote, but right now I can't tell you."

Baucus is part of a bipartisan, six-person group trying to develop compromise healthcare reform legislation.

The NRA sent a letter to Senate leaders saying the powerful lobby was against Sotomayor's nomination, saying a "yes" vote could factor into its legislative scorecard. In addition to Baucus, Mark Warner, D-Va., Tim Johnson, D-S.D., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., have said they would vote for her.

"I'm very disappointed" in the NRA taking a position on Sotomayor's nomination," Warner told the Washington publication. "I think the NRA at some point has gone beyond its mission, and are perhaps allowing themselves to get hijacked by those who are in the extreme."